Echoes from the past
by TheEmeraldArcher
Summary: All seems normal for a modern boy living in the scottish highlands on the day of his 17th birthday. That is until he decides to explored the ruins of ancient DunBroch castle and meets a girl who looks strangely out of place. Or is it out of time?


**Hi! For those of you who have read "Martian chronicles" by Ray Bradbury, this story will seem awfully familiar. Those who haven´t, close download the pdf and read that book now! Just kidding! Enjoy and don´t forget to review! J**

_Deep waters hold reflections of times lost long ago…_

That morning the boy woke up lie any other Sunday morning, the fact that it was the day of his seventeenth birthday did little to make the day seem special.

He took a shower and dressed up in a green t-shirt and cargo pants, like every other morning in the Scottish highlands, it was cold and the dim sunlight wasn´t very good if you were looking for warmth.

He sighed thinking that his mother was probably preparing a party for him; dad would have gone out to get a present.

He walked down the stairs to find both of them standing in the kitchen, next to a large package sitting on the table.

-Happy birthday darling- her mother exclaimed hugging him –We decided you were big enough so we didn´t threw a party but…- She pushed the package towards him –Open it-

He did so and in an instant a brand new bow was in his hands. Compound, 60 pounds draw, quiver, three pin sight and several arrows.

After the official thanks and hugs he left for his favorite shooting ground: the large clearing behind the ancient DunBroch castle.

Houses slowly disappeared and gave way to woodland; finally the castle came into sight.

He had been there a thousand times since he was six, always to shoot and the ruins and were like a second home to him. The place had never been a popular tourist attraction, it was far too unstable and dangerous but alone was the way he liked it.

It allowed him to think and today he thought about the air around him, it seemed to be full with time. He smirked, it was fun; how did time smell like?

Like dust and watches, like libraries and that peculiarly pleasant scent only old people have. But how about the sound of time? For him time sounded like water falling into a cave or those ancient songs in Gaelic he liked to hear.

Goosebumps crawled up his spine and he shivered for a second –So that´s how time feels like- he thought clearing the last yards of grass to his target, barely a hundred yards from the ruins.

A small box sat maybe 70 yards away, right where he had left it. He placed the first arrow on the bowstring and aimed, carefully he let the arrow fly remaining on his follow through until he saw it pierce the target.

He took another arrow but the quiver and aimed again but this time he didn´t fire, he relaxed his position to pay attention to the strangest thing…

It seemed like a person, walking down from the castle. He…or she, noticed him and both stared at each other for a few seconds, questioning; like if they were looking down a well.

He raised his hand and thought –Hello! - But didn´t move his lips. The figure was closer now, it was a girl. She wore a blue dress that seemed strangely out of place, maybe more like out of time.

He too walked towards the girl and two things caught his attention above everything else, for one thing she was beautiful. He face was pale and sprinkled with freckles and her hair was long and wild and the brightest shade of orange he had ever seen.

And she was carrying a bow and arrow.

They walked towards each other until they were no more than ten yards apart.

-Hi! - He called

-Hello- she answered in a strange kind of English.

-Who are you? - He asked.

-Whit's yer name? - She said

-What are you doing here? - Both asked at the same time and seemed confused, they looked at each other frowning.

-Ma name is Merida- she continued –Ae am the princess o ´DunBroch-

The name rang a bell, he had heard it before. Maybe in a history book or a fairy tale.

Both were shaken with new silence and looked at what each other held in their hands.

-Is that a bow? - Merida asked.

-I was about to ask the same thing-

-Et looks so…different. Can Ae see et? -

He stretched his arm and held the bow for her to take but her hand and the weapon went through each other as if made of mist.

-Oh my god! - He yelled, dropping his bow.

-In the name of…! - Merida exclaimed.

They were cold and frightened, Merida crouched and tried to pick up the strangers weapon but she couldn't as much as touch it.

-Lord- he murmured.

-Whit is happening? - She said before she stood up and began thinking. Then she threw her bow –Catch!-

He scrambled for it but the weapon too went right through his hand and hit the ground. He retreated a few steps, shaking.

-You are a ghost!-

-No! Ye must be a wisp of sorts!-

He touched his body, it was warm and that calmed him down. –I am real- he thought.

-Ae am alive, Ae exist- she whispered.

- I must be dreaming- he thought –I´ll never tell anyone about this-

- Whaur ar ye frae? - She finally asked.

-Evanton- he answered

-Where is that?-

-Less than a mile from here, have you never been there?-

She shook her head.

-And you? - He asked

-Whit kind o´ question is that? - She answered, but his confused face told her it wasn´t much of an answer. –DunBroch castle of course! - She continued pointing towards the ruins.

-What do you mean? Nobody has lived there in 600 years-

-Ae slept there yesterday! - She said and laughed out loud.

-And I was there last week and two weeks ago, it´s just a bunch of debris and dust. Don´t you see the broken walls?-

-Ae see them perfectly, intact-

-They are broken and so is the stone bridge, if you looked carefully enough you could even find bones-

-They are not! Oh, ye ar so mistaken! Don´t ye see the fires and the gates? And the men in the walls and the lights in the towers?-

-Girl that castle is destroyed; you can ask anyone around here! - He pointed at the small village behind him that was his home.

-Anyone in the forest? - She asked giggling.

He felt like he had been slapped and walked to a higher ground where she followed –Over there! Can´t you see them?-

-No-

-Goddammit! The village!-

-No- she laughed in frustration.

-You must be blind-

-Ae can see perfectly, et is ye who can´t see-

-So you can see the houses?- he asked with a twinge of hope.

-Ae can only see forest-

-That forest was cut down years ago-

-Oh come on! Stop et!- she said taking her hands to her hips.

-It´s true, I swear-

Both of them suddenly became very serious.

-Tell me again- Merida said – Can´t ye see the castle the way Ae describe et? The walls, the fires, the songs?-

He simply shook his head –No-

-But Ae- she continued –On the other hand, can´t see whit ye are talking about- she stop and sighed, shaking her head –Could et be…?-

-What?-

-When Ae walked up here Ae was…-

-Cold?-

-Aye, and no Ae feel cold again. For a moment et felt as if, Ae was the only person left anywhere-

-I felt the same thing- he said

And for a moment it seemed they were old friends discussing something intimate and private.

Just then the first rays of sunlight came in through the clouds, shining gold over them. The beams of light went through their flesh and bounced off, like glittering stars inside a loch.

They didn´t even react, it hadn´t been by far the strangest thing that had happened today.

-That settles et. Time, ye are a ghost, form the past- Merida exclaimed.

-No, you´re from the past- he said.

-Ye seem so sure! But how could ye prove who comes from the past and who comes from the future?-

-The ruins! They prove that I´m from the future! That I am alive and you´re…- he stopped in his tracks, fearing to speak the next word but the princess understood what he meant.

-Everything in me says otherwise. Ae feel the chill of the morning, my throat is thirsty, and my ears hear the men sing. Isn´t that prove enough?- She looked to the ground and continued –Maybe we are neither dead nor alive, or more alive than anyone. We are but to strangers that cross paths in a cold morning- the she looked behind, towards the castle.

-Did ye say ruins?-

-Yes- he answered also looking to the ground –Are you afraid?-

Merida nodded – Who wants tae see the future? Who has ever wanted tae? People can fight their past but tae think of…broken walls and dead men? - She became quiet but kept looking towards the ruins. –But it is there, Ae can see et, and hear the songs. My father the bear king leads the chant- her lips began to move and he could read the words even if she made no sound "Mor´du…now the time has come for all of us tae slaughter ye". She finally turned towards him –Ae don´t care whit ye say-

-We´ll never agree- he smiled.

-Let´s just agree in our disagreement then- she smiled too –Who cares who is from where, or when? If we are both here?-

Both tried to shake hands but they couldn´t touch each other.

-Will we ever meet again? - He asked

-Who knows! Maybe some other…time!- They laughed.

-I´d like to go with you to your castle and hear the songs-

- Ae would like tae go tae your town too-

-Goodbye then-

-Cheerio lad, farewell-

Both of them then turned around and walked back the way they had come.

-My god, what a weird dream- he whispered while he thought of home and breakfast and school.

-Whit a strange vision- she told herself thinking of her father and the festival and the great hall.

-I wish there was a girl like her back at home- he thought.

-Ae wish Ae had a suitor like him-

The morning was clear and cold like so many others in the highlands and gray clouds floated gently over the now deserted and silent clearing. And it remained that way for the rest of the day.


End file.
